Famous public house in Islington which was already almost 100 years old when the Soft Boys first played there in 1978.

Posted by Robyn on Facebook December 29, 2016:

The basement of the Hope & Anchor in Islington was the most coveted of the pub rock gigs in the late 1970s. Some acts never made it there. Some acts played there once or twice and springboarded to fame: U2, Elvis Costello, and The Police, for example. 'Police suck cock heavily' was emblazoned on the damp red dressing-room wall amid the tangled graffiti for several years. And some acts, such as we in The Soft Boys, made it to the Hope and never left it. A smoky cocoon where we always felt welcome and delivered our best shows. A mere 38 years ago, we cost 40 pence more than Joy Division for an evening as they, too, flashed by.